Orangutan Removed and Relocated in Tripa

An adult male orangutan has been tranquillized by officers from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) to be captured and relocated in Tripa forest. Tripa is home to the largest remaining population of endangered Sumatran orangutans. Although Tripa is recognised as an important peatland ecosystem, and is also covered by Indonesia's moratorium on deforestation, these forests are being cleared for palm oil plantations. Indonesia's civil society coalition for forest protection, including Greenpeace, say the moratorium has been undermined by weak legislation and weak enforcement. It provides little extra protection for forests, carbon-rich peatlands, forest-dependent peoples and endangered species such as the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger and ramin trees that depend on the forests for their survival.04/12/2012